As the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prepares to develop a regulatory standard for the labeling of bioengineered food ingredients, it must ensure that consumers receive clear, accurate information about the foods they eat, according to the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF). In comments filed with USDA’s Agriculture Marketing Service, NMPF said it supports a strict, science-based approach in determining how foods …
American Farm Bureau Asking Farmers to Share Their Story
Lawmakers need to hear about the challenges that farmers face so they can push for solutions that will help everyone in agriculture. If you’ve been affected by tax issues, an out-of-control regulatory system, water issues or other problems that have made it difficult or impossible to continue to run your farm or ranch, American Farm Bureau Federation wants to hear from …
Nominations for Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame are Due September 1
The deadline to make nominations for the class of 2018 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame is September 1. The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame honors men and women who have made lasting contributions to Florida agriculture. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services partners with the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation each year to recognize outstanding individuals nominated …
Time is Running Out to Enter Cattle for WDE 2017
Owners of North America’s finest dairy cattle are encouraged to enter their lineup for the 2017 World Dairy Expo Dairy Cattle Show by 11:59 p.m. (CDT) August 31. While late online entries continue to be accepted through September 10, entry fees increase on September 1. After September 10, only paper entries will be honored up to the day of the …
Starting a Hydroponic Garden or Farm
Cathy Isom has some pointers on how to start your own hydroponic garden or farm. That’s coming up on This Land of Ours. Hydroponic gardens are becoming popular because of their ability to conserve water and pesticide use while providing a medium for urban gardeners to grow fresh produce in small spaces. Now that we know the advantages of this practice, …
Agriculture Looks for Ways to Boost Exports
Agriculture is looking for every way possible to boost farm exports, at a time when other trade avenues seem to be limited or closed. TPP is off the table, the NAFTA renegotiations may or may not bear fruit, and U.S.-imposed sanctions on China over North Korea could invite retaliation. So where does U.S. agriculture go? One answer came recently when …
Swine Disease Monitoring System in Development
Farm Journal’s Pork Network Dot Com reports the Swine Health Information Center has funded a nearly real-time monitoring system for swine disease across the globe. The system will include the capability for identifying potential hazards due to new diseases or potential changes in current diseases. It will also be able to screen the information collected and regularly report it to …
Amazon Cleared to Take Over Whole Foods
The Federal Trade Commission cleared Amazon to officially take over Whole Foods. Politico’s Morning Agriculture Report says Amazon will spend $13.7 billion to acquire the Austin, Texas-based high-end food grocery store chain. The FTC wrapped up its investigation and found no anticompetitive effects sufficient to block the deal. Acting competition bureau chief Bruce Hoffman says, “Based on our investigation, we’ve …
McDonald’s Announces Global Antibiotic Phase Out
McDonald’s Corporation announced it’ll be expanding its effort to cut back on the use of antibiotics critical to human health across the global chicken supply. The fast food giant will require its poultry suppliers to phase out drugs categorized under the highest priority category in the World Health Organization’s four categories by January of next year. Those antibiotics will disappear …
IBM Announces New Food Traceability Program
A group of companies in the global food chain announced a partnership with IBM intended to give consumers more confidence in the global food system. The group includes companies like Walmart, Nestle, Tyson Foods, and many others. They’ll work with IBM to find areas in the global supply food chain that can benefit from the IBM program Blockchain. An IBM …